BPOs make a beeline

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">PUNE: <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Amche</span> Pune is fast emerging as the preferred hub for business process outsourcing companies. While a number of multi-national companies and domestic <a href="http://www.thetimesofindia.online/articleshow/330103.cms">BPOs</a> are making a beeline for the city, the ones already existing here are ramping up their operations on a large scale.<br /><br />The city is expected to generate around 15,000 jobs in the BPO segment alone by 2004 end, according to market estimates. Almost every BPO in the city is looking at doubling operations in the coming year. <br /><br />The demand is so high that leading human resource firms in the country, like ABC Consultants and MaFoi Management Consultants Limited, have specific teams in the city dedicated just for BPO recruitment. <br /><br />“Currently, there are around 20 large and small <a href="http://www.thetimesofindia.online/articleshow/331472.cms">BPOs</a> in Pune and at least another 10 are expected to set shop in the city before March 2004,� said Sushil Gupta, head of the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) in Pune. <br /><br />The 30,000-square-foot incubation centre at the STPI, with ready-made infrastructure, where companies can start operations immediately without any capital expenditure, even before they register, helps companies in their pilot operations before big business pours in, he said. <br /><br />Apart from the huge accent-neutral English speaking talent pool available in the city, its salubrious climate, short distances, high acceptance of flexible working hours and proximity to a big international airport (Mumbai) are some of the reasons quoted in Pune’s favour. <br /><br />The city has around 37 engineering colleges and an equal number of management institutes and brings about one lakh graduates into the system every year. <br /><br />Pune also becomes a default choice, considering that Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore have all neared saturation, according to a senior official of mSourcE, an offshore solution-based BPO and a subsidiary of mPhasis. Also, culturally Puneites are known to be “stable� — read reluctant to move out of the city — and unlikely to switch jobs easily, which is a boon for the sector, ridden as it is with a 42 per cent rate of attrition. <br /><br />The IT and ITES policy of Maharashtra 2003, announced in June this year, also seems to have made a difference in swaying the decision in favour of Pune. The city, which stood at ninth position in ITES-BPO penetration for the fiscal year 2003, according to a report published by Nasscom, is fast catching-up with the metros. <br /><br />The past two months saw three large <a href="http://www.thetimesofindia.online/articleshow/329372.cms">BPOs</a> enter the city — Convergys, EXL Services and vCustomer — each planning at least 1,000 seats next year. While Convergys has taken up 1.2-lakh sq. ft. space in Aundh, EXL Services has lapped up 80,000 sq. ft. in Magarpatta City. <br /><br />Leading BPOs like mSourcE and WNS, who have been in the city since 1999, are also looking at huge ramp-ups. Both are planning to add around 5,000 seats in the next three years. <br /><br />WNS, which is no longer just captive BPO of British Airways, is attracting business from its 12 large clients in the area of insurance, airlines and finance. <br /><br />Spectramind of Wipro, Progeon of Infosys and Tela (Adaptis) are also talking big numbers: about 1,000 seats each by end 2004. <br /><br />The city also has around 15 small BPOs who operate up to 300 seats. Among the BPOs eyeing Pune is UK-based bank Barclays.</div> </div>